Tartan paves way for £5,000 kilt

One of the world's most expensive tartans is about to roll off the production line in the Borders.

Woven from 100% pure Mongolian cashmere, the fabric will be used to produce a number of items including a kilt costing about £5,000.

The tartan has been designed by Peebles company Holland and Sherry to celebrate 172 years of operation in the town.

Sales and marketing director Malcolm Campbell described it as a "champagne fabric rather than a bottle of beer".

The Holland and Sherry tartan will be unveiled at the forthcoming Dressed to Kilt fashion show in New York.

It will soon go on sale across the world.

Its range of colours have been inspired by the local countryside around Peebles.

"We're sure that a kilt in this new tartan will become a must-have for many discerning and fashion-conscious buyers around the world"
Brian Wilton
Scottish Tartan Authority

Mr Campbell explained: "My role is to come up with initiatives that will rekindle and refresh the textiles industry.

"The type of thing we are doing is coming up with products people hadn't even thought about before."

The tartan itself has been made from "exquisite cashmere" costing about £200 a metre.

Mr Campbell said the end product was aimed at the top end of the clothing market.

"It is bespoke, custom tailoring," said Mr Campbell.

Brian Wilton, director of the Scottish Tartan Authority, which records and documents historical tartans, said it could take tartan to new heights.

"The new Holland and Sherry tartan takes the quality and luxury of tartan to new levels," he said.

"We're sure that a kilt in this new tartan will become a must-have for many discerning and fashion-conscious buyers around the world."

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Scottish Tartan Authority
Holland and Sherry
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites